


Currently Playing

by FISHBOWLS



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Baseball Player Mark Lee (NCT), Cute Lee Jeno, Don't Question The Ages, Jealous Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Is The Sun, Lee Jeno Being an Idiot, Lee Jeno is Whipped, Lee Jeno is a Panicked Gay, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Dumb, Sweet Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, There's a lot of stupidity in this fic, This is Kind Of a volleyball au, Yukhei deserves only the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 22:51:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19473838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FISHBOWLS/pseuds/FISHBOWLS
Summary: Lee Jeno, on top of being the new kid, is a fool for the one and only Lee Donghyuck.The problem with that? The fact that no one knows whether or not Lee Donghyuck and Mark Lee are dating.





	1. Currently Playing: ‘love like that’ by lambc

**Author's Note:**

> hello ^^ i've been holding onto this fic for so long and i think it's about time to let it go.

“Someone please turn off the alarm!” Is the first thing Lee Jeno says when he wakes up, attempting to pull his blanket over his head only to be stopped by the weight of his two cats napping at his feet and thus keeping the blanket in place.

“No can do sweetheart, you need to get ready for school.” His mother replies as she walks past his bedroom, the door wide open despite how Jeno had only left it cracked last night. His dear cats were probably the ones to do it, but it still makes him squint suspiciously until his mother reminds him to get up once more.

It’s not exactly the best way to start his day, sure, but at least his day starts?

* * *

The walk to school is infinitely better than the morning rush to get ready, Jeno being greeted by his neighbor and new friend, Na Jaemin, who offers to show Jeno the way to school almost as quickly as Jeno agrees to his offer.

Na Jaemin is talkative, filling up the space that Jeno’s more quiet self leaves without complaint, telling Jeno stories of their school and more specifically their school’s volleyball team. He tells Jeno about their manager, short and prickly but still is the best the team could’ve asked for. He then tells Jeno about the team’s maknae, a quiet and tall boy who they tease often for his crush on one of the debate team kids, Jaemin smiling the whole time he recounts the details of the last time they teased the boy.

Jeno doesn’t know if Jaemin is trying to get him interested in the team, but that’s exactly what he does, Jeno’s head filled with thoughts of volleyball and the brotherly relationships that Jaemin described the team having all throughout his first and second period, only getting out of his thoughts when the teacher in his third period calls him out mercilessly. Even after that though, Jeno still has the thought of the volleyball team in the back of his head, but they remain as thoughts for the longest time.

Even as Jaemin tells him more stories everyday on their walk to school and Jeno sees the posters and sign up sheets in the hallway, Jeno keeps himself from just plunging straight into the sport, instead considering it for his whole first two weeks of school until Jaemin finally mentions something at the end of the second week that has him making a decision.

* * *

“It’s kind of sad, no one’s really signing up this year so we don’t have any new players, but hopefully it won’t be like this next year when the hyungs leave.” Jaemin says, arms behind his head as he looks up at the sky, not really seeming to realize what he’s even talking about. “For right now, I guess we can manage but next year…”

Jeno simply hums sympathetically at the time, glancing at Jaemin once before setting his gaze straight ahead. “Sounds rough.” He says, not giving anything away until Jaemin catches him in the hallway between periods, signing up for tryouts, and yells at him for not saying anything sooner before swooping Jeno up into a hug that has the older boy squirming, wheezing softly as his friend squeezes him joyously.

“This year will be so great!” Jaemin exclaims, uncaring of the people tossing them questioning stares as he swings Jeno back and forth, Jeno silently glowing along with the younger boy despite how he tries to pry Jaemin off of him, already happy that he made this decision.

* * *

The process of trying out for the school’s volleyball team is a little bit more intense than Jeno expected it to be, but he still pulls through it and finally gets to attend his first practice, meeting his new teammates and then happily greeting Jaemin.

Jeno gets along with everyone easily, the hyungs quick to fawn over him and his kind eye smile while the other members closer to his age warm up to him afterwards. Jeno actually makes friends with Renjun the easiest, making conversation with the ‘prickly’ manager as Jaemin sits next to Renjun, watching them silently as they talk.

Jisung is next after Jaemin steals Renjun’s attention, Jeno wandering away to give the two some privacy and finding himself next to the lanky boy. Jisung is the maknae of their team, quieter and shier than the rest of them, but he still warms up to Jeno as everyone else did, the boy even beginning to mumble small insults that are always punctuated with a ‘hyung’ when their coach enters the gym, closely followed by the team captain.

At that moment, Jeno thinks he’s met everyone already and is even happier that he made the decision to join the team, barely containing a smile as his thoughts are quickly shot down with a bang.

Jeno’s just finishing up his conversation with Jisung when the door to the gym fly open and the whole team goes silent, turning to the boy that’s standing in the doorway with a sheepish smile. Jeno can’t exactly see him perfectly from where he’s standing but he seems a bit shorter than most of the team but still taller than Renjun, his stride confident as he walks towards where their coach and captain are standing, already feeding them apologies and excuses with a high voice.

Everyone goes back to what they were doing as the coach starts talking to the boy, looking exasperated as the boy grins so bright that Jeno feels like he should be squinting instead of staring straight on, trying desperately to remember the effects of staring at the sun for too long. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have to remember becomes Jaemin slinks up to him, catching his attention before anyone realizes that the new kid has been staring at the sunny boy for way too long.

Jaemin still seems to have caught it though, grinning as Jisung quickly retreats back to the bleachers when Renjun sits, reading through a small stack of papers silently. “So, Lee Donghyuck, hmm?” He asks, eyes sparkling as he leans towards Jeno, laughing when Jeno is quick to lean away.

“That’s his name?” Jeno asks, avoiding Jaemin’s question as if they've known each other for years and Jeno's used to Jaemin's antics when in reality Jeno only moved in a few weeks ago and thus only met Jaemin a few weeks ago too.

Jaemin shrugs, mirth dancing in his gaze as he begins to slink off again, probably planning to go join Renjun and Jisung on the bleachers since he doesn’t seem to be as close to their older teammates like the sunshine boy seemed to be. “Dunno, guess he’ll have to tell you that for himself.”

He’s gone like that and instead Jeno has to whirl around as someone taps his shoulder from behind, gaze caught by the aforementioned sunshine boy. Now that they’re a bit closer, Jeno can see his messy hair and the dirt staining his right cheek, eyes warm as he offers a tan hand that’s decorated with barely chipped black nail polish.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Lee Donghyuck, and you are?” He says and Jeno thinks that he might just be in love.

* * *

“Crushes are normal Jeno, I really don’t know why you’re worrying so much.” Dongyoung says when Jeno calls him later that evening, worrying about his quickly formed feelings for his new teammate. “If you don’t wanna act on it, don’t, but don’t just ignore him, it’ll probably make him think you hate him for no reason and I didn’t raise you to be like that.”

“You didn’t raise me hyung, our parents did.” Jeno groans, face pressed to his pillow as Dongyoung sighs on the other end, shuffling around before settling down, the tapping of a pencil filling up the background of the call.

“I’m serious Jeno, don’t avoid him, just make friends with him even if you plan to never confess to him.” Dongyoung says, all serious as Jeno sighs just as heavily as the older did moments before, rolling himself onto his back as he stares up at the glow in the dark stars he had set up the day before. 

“I will hyung, promise.” Jeno says, nodding to himself as Dongyoung mumbles incoherently, the pencil tapping continuing for a few more moments before Jeno speaks again. “Thank you.” He says softly, Dongyoung sighing softly in response. 

“You’re welcome kiddo.” He replies and Jeno wishes Dongyoung was there to hug him but instead he has to settle for ‘I love you’s over the phone as his older brother studies back at the college in the city where Jeno and his parents used to be as well, not there to congratulate him when he spends half of his practice talking to Donghyuck the next day, making conversations with the sunshine boy and laughing so hard that his gut aches even as he says goodbye to Jaemin after walking home, rushing inside and slamming the door behind him as he wonders how the hell he's gonna survive for the rest of high school.


	2. Currently Playing: ‘cherry cola’ by kuwada

Donghyuck’s personality is just as sunny as his looks, Jeno learns.

The boy is a never ending ball of energy, bringing up the mood wherever he goes and filling up rooms with the sound of his laughter. He can talk somebody’s ear off with ease but rarely does anybody ever tell him off, instead smiling as he cracks jokes and rattles on about this and that. He’s also an exceptionally good friend on top of this, always offering up his water bottle to Jeno on the days Jeno forgets to bring his and never bothering Jeno when Jeno shies away from any form of skinship with Donghyuck.

Donghyuck is practically perfect, a shining star that Jeno can’t help but admire despite how he tells himself to remain friends with the sunshine boy. Granted, Jeno doesn’t ever really act on his feelings, never acts on the urge to just kiss Donghyuck out of the blue when he’s talking or hold his hand when they’re sitting side by side as they’re taking breaks in between practice. He can hold himself from all that, but he certainly can’t help from holding himself back from admiring the boy so much that he’s sure half of the team knows by now.

Surprisingly though, the team never teases him like they tease Jisung, leaving Jeno and his hopeless crush on Donghyuck alone despite how obvious Jeno gets sometimes. Really, if it weren’t for the fact that Jeno knows he’s obvious, the poor boy even having gotten hit in the face by a volleyball thanks to his staring, Jeno would think that he was actually being subtle.

He doesn’t really question his teammates any further than thinking about it every now and then though, instead enjoying his budding friendship with Donghyuck to the fullest.

Like now, as he and Donghyuck are in Jeno’s room, Donghyuck completing his homework while Jeno tries to do the same but instead just glances up at the boy lounging on his bed every few seconds before quickly looking away. From here, Jeno can see the scrapes and scabs decorating Donghyuck’s knees and the black nail polish that’s been mostly chipped off by now, from here Jeno can see Donghyuck’s eyes darting from word to word and the way his fingers drum against his knee before picking at a random scab and thus grabbing Jeno’s full attention.

“You shouldn’t pick at your knees.” Jeno says, spinning around in his desk chair and completely abandoning his homework in favor of moving over to his bed, hesitating before reaching out and dragging Donghyuck’s hand away from his knee.

“Sorry, it’s probably gross isn’t it?” Donghyuck says sheepishly, shaking his head and messing his hair up even further, a few particularly unruly strands even poking out from his hood. “Old habit, I guess, but I’ll try and stop when I’m around you.”

He says this so sincerely that Jeno swears his heart melts just a tiny bit more in that moment, gulping as he keeps Donghyuck’s hand in his. “I just don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Jeno says quietly and Donghyuck seems surprised by the sincerity in Jeno's voice, eyes widening briefly before he smiles sweetly.

“I’ll probably be fine, but thank you for the thought.” Donghyuck mumbles, squeezing Jeno’s hand once before pulling away, pressing his lips together as Jeno nods jerkily in response.

“You’re uhh… You’re welcome.” He mumbled, quickly returning to his desk as Donghyuck laughs breathily behind him, gazing at Jeno for a few moments long before returning to his book.

Donghyuck doesn’t pick at his knees for the rest of their time spent together but Jeno still keeps glancing at him, ears turning red each time he does as he remembers the smile Donghyuck gave him.

* * *

“Should we tell him?” One of the hyungs whispers, the whole team huddled near the bleachers when Jeno enters the gym silently, eyeing his teammates as they all begin to argue furiously.

“We shouldn’t, it can’t be that serious.” Jaemin says, looking at the hyungs before he spies Jeno standing in the doorway, looking lost as he gazes at the team. “Jeno! What happened to you? You’re normally so early!” Jaemin says, the huddle quickly breaking as Jaemin walks over to him, slinging an arm around his shoulder and laughing when Jeno slinks away.

“Teacher wanted to talk to me…” Jeno mumbles absently, staring at Jaemin as the other boy smiles, seemingly unbothered by the look Jeno is giving him. “What were you guys talking about, did something happen?” Jeno asks curiously, wondering what tragedy must have took place before Jaemin waves his hand dismissively.

“Nothing much, don’t worry about it for now.” Jaemin says breezily before the gym doors bang open again and Donghyuck finally joins him, smiling brightly as he notices the coach isn’t here and he isn’t late for once, celebrating silently before he’s darting over to Jeno.

“Jeno, did you see what happened at lunch today?” He asks, quickly beginning to drag Jeno off when the older boy shakes his head silently, rambling about whatever happened at lunch today as Jeno takes one last glance at Jaemin before his attention is on Donghyuck, listening carefully to the story the sunshine boy is telling him.

* * *

“Jeno! Let’s go out for ice cream!” Donghyuck yells a few weeks later as they’re both leaving practice, running up to the older boy with a big grin as Jeno grimaces at the idea.

“It’s still pretty cold Donghyuckie…” He says, hesitant to turn down their offer but not sure about whether or not ice cream is really a good idea.

Donghyuck seems sure of this though, grin not faltering as he grabs Jeno’s arm, shaking Jeno vigorously. “That just means it’ll be better!” He says, so sure of himself and so excited that Jeno has a hard time saying no to him, instead prying himself away from Donghyuck as he sighs heavily.

“I guess we could, if you’re so sure.” He says, acting over dramatic about the whole thing just to get a laugh from Donghyuck, the said boy quick to deliver as he slaps Jeno’s shoulder, not noticing how Jeno stumbles forward from the blow before catching himself.

“I’m sure! Plus, I’ll even pay for the both of us.” Donghyuck says and that’s how Jeno finds himself in the current situation, sitting across from Donghyuck who’s hood is drawn up in an attempt to contain his messy curls.

Donghyuck’s talking continuously in between bites of his ice cream, unaware of how Jeno is looking at him right now, admiring the boy like he’s a dream come true. And honestly, Jeno sometimes thinks he could be, that Donghyuck with his messy hair, his scraped up knees, his always chipped nail polish, his larger than life laugh, his dedication to volleyball, and just his everything, is an absolute dream come true.

And of course, just as Jeno’s admiring Donghyuck, the sunshine boy has to manage to get a small dollop of ice cream on the tip of his nose, making himself look cuter than Jeno thought possible. And maybe that cuteness is what makes Jeno practically malfunction, hand moving thoughtlessly to wipe the small spot of ice cream right off of Donghyuck’s nose and making the boy pause right in the middle of his sentence.

It feels like they stare at each other for an eternity before either of them realize what just happened, a blush creeping up Donghyuck’s neck while Jeno’s ears go red, the older of the two quick to retract his hand as if he had just been burnt before wiping his finger off with a napkin.

“Uh… Thanks Jeno-yah.” Donghyuck murmurs moments later, blinking owlishly as he tries to remember where he was in his little spiel, pushing his ice cream around with his spoon mindlessly.

“You’re welcome.” Jeno mumbles just as quietly before Donghyuck recovers, getting right back into his story with only a tinge of awkwardness, their little outing going on normally afterwards.

That doesn’t keep Jeno from screaming into his pillow when he gets home though, scaring his poor mother and thus making the poor boy even more embarrassed.

* * *

Things were bound to turn sour though, everything was just going too well for Jeno and it isn’t until later that week that he realizes that.

It’s the end of practice and everyone is making their way out of the gym, happily exchanging goodbyes with each other and talking to each other before they go home for the weekend. Jeno is just waiting for Jaemin while talking to Donghyuck who’s still at the gym despite how he normally leaves early so long as he doesn’t have plans with Jeno.

Everything is fine and completely normal until it isn’t anymore, the gym doors swinging open and Jeno and Donghyuck turning instinctively, ready to ask one of their hyungs if they forgot anything when Jeno sees someone he doesn’t recognize standing in the doorway instead.

The boy is wearing a sweatshirt a few sizes too big, gym shorts that Jeno squints at for a moment before realizing that they’re part of the basketball team’s uniforms. The boy looks around for a moment before his gaze settles on Donghyuck and he smiles, waving to the sunshine boy who’s quick to bounce over to him with a scream of ‘hyung!’

The exchange has Jeno tilting his head, watching the two boys interact and not even realizing that Jaemin is standing at his side now, looking abnormally stoic. “Jeno-yah, this is Mark-hyung, he’s a member of the basketball team.” Donghyuck says, dragging the boy, Mark-hyung, over to Jeno (and Jaemin) with a bright smile.

“Hi, I’m Donghyuck’s teammate, Lee Jeno.” He introduces himself, nodding his head as he analyses the boy (Mark-hyung!) with high cheekbones and a natural air of confidence. He’s beginning to wonder how he never saw Mark around when Mark introduces himself properly, nodding back at Jeno and bringing Jeno back to Earth.

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Mark Lee.” He says and Jeno nods absently, unable to add anything as Donghyuck quickly drags Mark away, yelling a goodbye to Jeno and Jaemin over his shoulder as Jaemin sighs by his side, finally alerting Jeno of his presence.

“Almost forgot about his boyfriend, honestly.” Jaemin mumbles, slinging an arm around Jeno’s shoulders as Jeno turns to stare at him, wide-eyed.

“Boyfriend?” Jeno questions as Jaemin leads them towards the gym doors, practically dragging Jeno along as the word begins to sink into his head. “Donghyuck has a boyfriend?”

“Yep.” Jaemin replies simply, the response so blunt that it leaves Jeno reeling for the whole walk back home.

Boyfriend, huh?


	3. Currently Playing: ‘bubblegum’ by clairo

“Jaemin’s brain dead.” Renjun proclaims as he sits down at the local cafe that Saturday afternoon, sliding a coffee over to Jaemin silently and instantly shutting the boy up. “No one knows if they’re actually dating, but everyone has agreed that they are because they act so boyfriend-y that if they aren’t boyfriends then what should be considered boyfriend behavior, yknow?”

Jeno nods despite the fact that he’s even more lost than before, leaning back in his chair as Jaemin noisily slurps his drink until Renjun reaches over and pinches his straw, only pulling away when Jaemin puts his drink down in defeat. “I’m not brain dead for the record, I just wasn’t going to explain the whole situation to him right there in the middle of the gym.”

“So you’re lazy?” Renjun asks, not really looking for an answer as he pushes Jaemin’s drink back towards him to instead address Jeno once more. “Don’t be too down about it, there’s a chance that they’re not actually dating.” He says, trying to be kind and quickly failing when Jaemin snorts softly.

“Yeah, a very slim chance.” Jaemin says and Renjun seems to give up instantly, sighing as he puts his hands up in surrender before quickly pinching Jaemin’s straw when the boy tries to begin slurping again.

And while they bicker, Jeno continues to sit there in silence, feeling so lost and empty that he can't help but feel he's being a bit dramatic about what's just a dumb high school crush.

* * *

That Wednesday night, after avoiding Donghyuck at practice for the past few days, Jeno can't help but crave an escape and thus finds himself on top of his roof. it’s quiet on top of Jeno’s roof, stars twinkling in the distance as he lays back and traces constellations with his finger, barely noticing when another body joins him.

“Wow Jeno, didn’t know you were secretly some sort of space nerd.” Donghyuck jokes, voice edging on soft and hesitant as it always does when he’s with Jeno, leaning forward onto his scraped up knees as he takes his spot next to the said boy. Jeno’s hand promptly drops down onto his stomach at the arrival of the sunshine boy, turning to look up at Donghyuck who hesitantly reaches out to push Jeno’s glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“If I’m the nerd in this equation, does that make you the jock?” Jeno asks and Donghyuck’s shoulders seem less hunched instantly, the boy looking a little less hesitant with Jeno easily returning the quip.

“As if, even Jisung’s more of a jock than me and he’s a noodle.” Donghyuck replies, picking at the scabs on his knee before he catches himself and stops, leaning back on his hands instead. “Do you actually know any constellations though, or were you just trying to entertain yourself up here?”

Jeno shrugs, turning his gaze back to the starry night sky and ignoring the urge to reach out and tangle his fingers with Donghyuck’s, reminding himself that Donghyuck has a boyfriend to do that with, that Donghyuck has Mark Goddamn Lee. “I know some, my brother went through a phase in high school and taught me a lot of stuff but I forgot most of it.” Jeno says instead, curling his hands together as Donghyuck hums, glancing over at him.

“Would you mind teaching me some?” Donghyuck asks, looking hopeful when Jeno glances up at him.

And Jeno, despite how his heart aches as he replays what Jaemin and Renjun had told him about Mark Lee and Donghyuck, can’t force himself to say no to the sunshine boy who wormed his way into Jeno’s heart quicker than Jeno ever thought possible. So, he agrees and sits up, pointing out constellations to his sunny companion and trying to ignore the urge to kiss the boy sitting next to him as his heart screams at him for doing this to himself.

* * *

“So you’re listening to rumors about your crush?” Dongyoung asks and Jeno groans, kicking his feet wildly at the way his older brother worded it, making it seem much worse than it really is.

It’s Thursday evening and Jeno had gone back to avoiding Donghyuck at practice despite what happened Wednesday night. Jeno had thought it was best to call his older brother and fill Dongyoung in on the situation and to maybe get an outsider’s point of view instead of just listening to his friends and himself. He’s really beginning to regret it though, really, really beginning to regret it.

“I mean, they can’t be baseless if even Renjun and Jaemin believe it.” Jeno says, head falling as Dongyoung scoffs on the other side of the call, probably not buying a word Jeno is saying. Dongyoung’s always been like that, the voice of reason for Jeno despite how dramatic he is as well. Dongyoung always there to steer Jeno back towards reality while he is off in college and constantly picking fights with his roommate’s boyfriend for the littlest of things.

“From what I’ve been told, Jaemin seems to be the type to make rumors and bet on them and Renjun seems like his boyfriend who goes along with it for the money.” Dongyoung says, hitting the nail right on the head and causing Jeno to scream into his pillow for the second time in the past seven days.

“Don’t scream like that, you could hurt your throat.” Dongyoung nags, only receiving a small ‘yes hyung’ in return as Jeno spirals further and further down the rabbit hole.

* * *

“Need some water?” A hand appears in front of Jeno’s face, water bottle dangling from tanned fingers that are decorated by the remnants of multicoloured nail polish and a few bandaids. “Or are you just brooding?”

“I’m not the brooding type.” Jeno mumbles defensively, taking the water bottle from Donghyuck’s outstretched hand with a small ‘thank you.’ It’s already the beginning of a new week and while Jeno isn’t avoiding Donghyuck as much, there not as close as they were just a few weeks ago.

“You sure? You’ve been hanging out with Jisung an awful lot, it wouldn’t surprise me if you picked up his broody attitude.” Donghyuck says, the joke sounding a little awkward after a week of barely interacting with Jeno, the sunshine boy seemingly just as lost about where they now stand as Jeno is about, well, everything.

“Unfortunately, I have not.” Jeno says, handing the bottle back to Donghyuck as the younger boy takes a seat next to him. “If anything, I think Jisung’s broody attitude is getting replaced by his boyfriend’s cheeriness.” He says, trying not to flinch at his own usage of the b-word in this conversation, suddenly cursing himself for forgetting his water bottle that day.

“Boyfriends? Are they finally dating?” Donghyuck asks, either ignoring or not noticing how Jeno curls into himself just a bit, hands pulling at a loose thread in his shorts. “Jeez, what else have I missed out on?”

“They’re not actually dating but they might as well be.” Jeno says, cursing himself once again as he thinks of Mark and Donghyuck instead of Jisung and his Debate Team Crush. It also doesn’t help that he can’t help but wonder if Donghyuck thinks that something happened to cause Jeno to avoid him, if he's secretly asking what he missed that made Jeno suddenly avoid him. It hurts a bit, because Jeno knows he didn’t miss anything, not really.

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Donghyuck says, sounding a bit dejected at the news before quickly bouncing back as their coach signals the end of their little break, standing up and leaving Jeno with a quick goodbye tossed over his shoulder, brightness tinged with something a little bit sadder.

When Jeno looks next to him, his gaze lands on Donghyuck’s water bottle, scratched up from years of use, before his attention is brought back as his coach yells for everyone to hurry up and Jeno is left to scramble to join the rest, leaving the water bottle behind without a second thought.


	4. Currently Playing: ‘lava lamp’ by cuco

Donghyuck thinks he’s a fairly simple person, Mark says that he’s fairly simple once you get past the absolute mess that’s covering all of his ‘simplicity’, and Yukhei just shrugs and says that at least he’s not Mark.

Sometimes though, Donghyuck has to question if he’s really as simple as he claims to be. Sometimes, boys like Lee Jeno come along and Donghyuck begins to question the simplicity of his feelings. Sometimes, Donghyuck starts to question so much that he ends up getting desperate enough to go to Mark for help.

Now, Mark is his best friend, the person he always turns to for help in these kinds of tough situations. And Donghyuck really, really, really love his best friend but sometimes…

“Just talk to him, I dunno.” Mark shrugs, trying to search under Donghyuck’s bed for something, Donghyuck can’t be bothered to remember exactly what it was. “God, why do you have so much shit hidden under here, can’t you just clean your room like a normal person?”

“Shut up, you picked up Taeyong-hyung’s clean freak shit and aren’t trustworthy when it comes to gauging how messy something is.” Donghyuck says, putting his feet on top of Mark’s back when the older comes closer enough, squinting at his mismatched socks until Mark shakes him off. “Also, I can’t just talk to him, he’s already avoiding me and I can’t just lose him completely.”

Mark hums, sounding strained enough for Donghyuck to quickly peer under the bed just to check if Mark’s stuck, sitting back against the wall when he realizes that Mark is fine and just making his old man noises. “I dunno, if things are meant to happen then they’ll happen, yknow?”    
  


“No, I don’t know! that’s the problem here!” Donghyuck yells, kicking Mark’s back and ignoring how Mark yells, instinctively moving to try and retaliate only to hit the back of his head. “God, where’s your phone?”

“If you’re gonna call Yukhei then use your own phone!” Mark says, yelping when Donghyuck snags the said device from his back pocket, Mark once again trying to fight back only to get himself hurt again. “I swear, the last time I was under here the space wasn’t this tiny, are you weighing this shit down?”

“You were like, nine the last time you were under my bed Mark.” Donghyuck informs him, unlocking Mark’s phone on the third try. “Stop changing your password.” He complains, beginning to look through Mark’s contacts as Mark finally manages to crawl back out, instantly lunging for his phone only for Donghyuck to roll onto his side.

“I’ll stop changing it when you stop using my phone for evil!” He says, trying to reach for it as Donghyuck facetimes Yukhei, holding the phone out of Mark’s reach with ease.

“I don’t use your phone for evil, I use it to call you boyfriend because you’re useless!” Donghyuck yells back, both of them quieting down when they hear a quiet ‘uhhh,’ turning to Yukhei with smiles as if they hadn’t been bickering like it was the end of the world. “Yukhei-hyung! How are you?”

“I’m good Donghyuck.” Yukhei says, blinking blearily as he gazes at his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s best friend, wondering what he’s been called for today. “What did you need?” He asks, straight to the point, something Donghyuck likes about him and really, really wishes Mark would pick up.

“I need your advice.” Donghyuck informs him, Mark sighing as he goes back to searching under Donghyuck’s bed, giving up on the task on getting his phone back as Donghyuck gets into the story of Lee Jeno. “There’s this boy on the team and we really were getting along but he just started avoiding me all of a sudden…” Donghyuck’s eyes wander away from the screen for a moment, sighing as he rolls onto his back, ignoring the small ‘oof’ that comes from Mark at the action. “I’m confused.”

And Yukhei, despite how he struggles with the korean language, gives the best advice, heartfelt even as he stumbles through his words before picking back up when either Mark or Donghyuck help him out, sometimes getting a bit loud in his explanations before he quiets down when he catches himself. Really, Donghyuck is thankful that he and Mark are dating, that Mark has such a caring and wonderful boyfriend and that their relationship gave Donghyuck the chance to be friends with him.

“You like him, right?” Yukhei asks, head in his hands as he squints at the screen, his room dark. It’s likely that he was asleep or about to go to sleep, but he still answered and Donghyuck silently thanks him a million times for being so kind before he realizes what Yukhei just asked and suddenly feels his stomach drop.

“No… No, why would you think that?” Donghyuck asks, brows furrowed in confusion, suddenly feeling even more lost than he was just a few moments ago. Why would Yukhei assume that he likes Jeno so quickly? Does Donghyuck like him? Is that why this situation is bothering him so much?

“Well, you wouldn’t be bothered if you didn’t like him, right?” Yukhei asks, looking too sincere for Donghyuck to worry about Yukhei joking around with him. “Maybe you should figure that out? And if you do….”

“Have feelings for him.” Mark says, still underneath the bed but definitely listening to the conversation Yukhei and Donghyuck are having.

“Have feelings for him, maybe you should confess? For now you should uhh… just try and go back to normal with him.” Yukhei suggests, seeming to think over his words for a few moments before a look of confidence crosses his face. “Yes, try and act normal with him.”

“Normal, huh?” Donghyuck repeats, staring at his bedroom wall as Yukhei nods, smiling at Donghyuck reassuringly.

“Yep, normal!”

* * *

“Jeno, want to get some ice cream?” Donghyuck asks, walking up to the said boy with a smile, brightness not faltering even when Jeno glances at him before nervously looking over at Jaemin and Renjun.

“I don’t know… it’s even colder than before…” Jeno mumbles, still looking at Jaemin and Renjun even as Donghyuck tries to inch closer in an attempt to catch his attention, hoping and praying that Yukhei was right. 

“We can just stay inside the shop like last time, and I’ll even pay?” Donghyuck offers, a bit more hesitant this time as Jeno looks down at him finally, lips pressed into a thin line that gives away how nervous the boy is. It makes Donghyuck wonder what he did to make Jeno act like this when just a few weeks ago Jeno was smiling brightly at him and joking around with him.

“Maybe next time, Donghyuck…” He says softly, stepping away from Donghyuck and walking towards Jaemin and Renjun instead. The two boys greet Jeno with a smile and instantly pull him in their conversation while Donghyuck is left in the dust, wondering why his heart is aching so bad. 

* * *

Donghyuck is over at Mark’s house for once when he’s hit with The Realization.

He’s waiting for Mark to come down so they can go out. Taeyong is home from college today and is rearranging the kitchen for the what Donghyuck guesses must be the fifth time today. He doesn’t really put much thought into that though, still stuck on his interaction with Jeno from the other day, heart aching each time he thinks about it until suddenly a splotch of bright red enters his vision.

“I can hear you thinking, what’s up Hyuck-ah?” Taeyong asks and normally Donghyuck would just shrug his shoulders, already knowing that his dear Taeyong-hyung is worse at explaining his emotions than Mark could ever dream of being. There’s something about this situation that makes him answer though, sighing heavily as he gets into the story for the third time. 

When he’s done, Taeyong is still there, nodding his head slowly as he drums his fingers on the countertop. “Emotions aren’t always simple Donghyuck-ah, a crush doesn’t just always come suddenly, it can develop so slowly and subtly that you don’t even notice it.” Taeyong informs him and that is The Realization.

The Realization of his feelings for Lee Jeno, The Realization that he, Lee Donghyuck, has an absolutely hopeless crush on Lee, Goddamn, Jeno, The Realization that maybe he’s not as simple as he thought.

“Oh.” He says simply, staring at Taeyong until the older boy goes back to rearranging the kitchen just as Mark comes down, announcing that he’s finally ready to go while Donghyuck just sits there, absolutely dumbfounded. “Oh.” He says as The Realization rams straight into him.


	5. Currently Playing: ‘walls’ by sapientdream

It’s another week, another afterschool practice, and Jeno feels like he might just go insane.

It’s nearing the end of practice and while he’s practicing his passes, Donghyuck is at the sides, talking to their captain and managing to capture all of Jeno’s attention. Jaemin has already had to grab his attention multiple times, trying not to let his friend hurt but starting to realize how hopeless Jeno is when the other boy just continues looking over at Donghyuck.

Luckily, it seems like only Jaemin (and Renjun too, probably) have noticed, their teammates too busy and Donghyuck remaining entirely oblivious to Jeno’s staring no matter how obvious the boy gets. And of course, that thought somehow manages to get Jeno wondering if Donghyuck’s just pretending to ignore him for his sake, pretending like he doesn’t see Jeno hopelessly crushing on him in an already failed attempt at trying to save Jeno from heartbreak.

It makes his heart ache for a moment before he’s being hit in the face by a volleyball and suddenly he couldn’t give a shit about heartache. 

“Jaemin! Holy shit!” Jeno yells, falling back as he clutches his nose, the other boy trying to look apologetic but failing horribly. Maybe later he’ll thank Jaemin for realizing that he was getting down and trying to get him out of that rut as quickly as possible, but for now he’s just kind of angry and also kind of in a fuck ton of pain.

He doesn’t get a chance to chew Jaemin out though (thank god), as soon the whole team is crowding him, hyungs yelling over each other until Donghyuck shoulders his way past Jung Jaehyung and Kim Jungwoo, looking so tiny that Jeno almost kinds of wants to coo despite how his nose is throbbing and how Donghyuck is barely shorter than him. 

“Jeno, you can hear me, right?” He asks, seeming calm except for the worry that Jeno can see in the way his left hand grips his knee, fingertips turning white as he holds up four fingers with his right hand once Jeno nods in response. “I’m guessing you can tell how many fingers I’m holding up then?”

“Four.” Jeno groans in response, putting his head between his knees as soon as Donghyuck stands up, all the hyungs seeming to lean towards the boy as if he’s about to tell him whether or not Jeno is going to fucking die.

Are all hyungs just dramatic? Is that just a hyung thing? Jeno wonders, his thoughts quickly spiraling from there into wondering about what Dongyoung is gonna say when he finds out Jeno got hurt at practice. He’s beginning thinking about the nagging he’ll receive, head suddenly aching, when he comes back to Earth so suddenly that he wonders what brought him back and then-

“I’ll take him to the nurse’s office.” Donghyuck says, already beginning to haul Jeno up onto his feet with only a little difficulty, Jeno not really trying to support any of his own weight until a few moments later when he realizes what’s happening. 

“Are you sure? I could take him.” Jaemin offers nervously, still hovering around Jeno and Donghyuck anxiously even when the hyungs go back to practice, easily relying on Donghyuck to take care of their newest teammate. 

“It’s fine, It’ll just stay late to practice some more if I need to.” Donghyuck says, already beginning to drag away when Jaemin finally concedes, slinking back to the rest of the team as Donghyuck and Jeno being their trek to the nurse’s office. 

The whole walk there is filled with awkward silence, neither of the two willing to make any conversation as Donghyuck navigates the halls, letting Jeno lean on him despite how Jeno can probably walk just fine.

The silence remind Jeno of the damage that he’s caused to their friendship, regret beginning to weigh his stomach down as he thinks more and more about their whole situation, about Donghyuck and his alleged relationship with Mark and about how Jeno heard that news and ran far, far away without even giving Donghyuck a chance. 

He doesn’t apologize though, too afraid of saying too much and ruining whatever is left of their friendship. Instead, he lets the awkward silence linger in the air until Donghyuck makes the move to finally clear it out, clearing his throat as they enter the nurse’s office.

Gingerly, he sits Jeno down on the bed, looking around for a moment before sighing and leaning against the wall. “The nurse always stays after school because of all the teams practicing.” Donghyuck says, doing another once over of the room just encase he missed something. “She’s probably just out with the football team or something, but I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”

“Got it.” Jeno mumbles, head between his knees once again as a silence blankets them for another moment before Donghyuck sighs and walks across the room. There’s a soft rustling as Donghyuck looks for something before he’s in front of Jeno, holding out an ice pack and looking down at the older boy with a small smile.

“Can’t believe you’ve already gotten hit in the face twice.” He says once Jeno reaches out to grab the ice pack, holding it to his nose as he glances at Donghyuck questioningly. “Maybe you really are a nerd.” He jokes, a little hesitant as he says it but still trying to seem bright and sure of himself.

It makes Jeno think back to that night on the roof so many weeks ago, remembering the way Donghyuck had listened to him attentively as Jeno rattled off the names of constellations and their stories. He had been so focused on the things Jeno was telling him that he didn’t even realize how Jeno kept glancing over at him nervously, admiring the way his curls looked in the moonlight and the way his eyes reflected the stars.

“So is Jaemin the jock, since he’s the one who hit me?” Jeno asks as Donghyuck laughs airily, shrugging his shoulders as Jeno switches hands, his fingers beginning to get cold from holding the ice pack. 

“I don’t think he really meant to.” Donghyuck says, beginning to pick at the remnants of his nail polish as he looks around the room for the third time. “But god knows with Jaemin.”

That gets Jeno to laugh, smiling as he drops the ice pack for a second, thinking about how Donghyuck thinks Jaemin, who’s just as obvious about his feelings as Jeno, is a mystery. It’s a little cute in a way, but everything about Donghyuck is kind of cute to Jeno and Jeno has seen Donghyuck tackle a kid once.

The whole fiasco with Donghyuck tackling a kid, a junior that Jeno has seen Donghyuck hanging out with from time to time, was just playful fighting really. The whole thing still made Jeno distantly wonder how Donghyuck would be in an actual fight though, the older boy watching as Donghyuck put the junior into a headlock with ease, the kid squealing for mercy until Donghyuck let go with a bout of laughter. It also gave Jeno an explanation to those random splotches of dirt that he’ll sometimes spot on Donghyuck’s skin, but that’s much less notable in comparison to the way that Donghyuck had smiled when the junior tried tackling him again.

Unfortunately, their conversation doesn’t go much further than that and Jeno’s reminiscing is also cut short, the nurse bursting into the room, mumbling about cheerleaders until she notices Donghyuck and Jeno and sighs. She quickly gets to work on fixing Jeno up, not even asking what happened as Donghyuck hovers in the room for a few moments before hesitantly starting to make his way to the door.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asks and Jeno realizes that just as quickly as things felt normal again, they’re back to being awkward.

“Yeah, tomorrow.” He mumbles and Donghyuck is gone.

* * *

“At some point you need to realize that I’m the worst person to be asking these things.” Dongyoung says when Jeno calls him that afternoon, a good chunk of their call filled with Dongyoung nagging his younger brother before he finally moves onto this.

“Give yourself some more credit hyung. You’re at least the third worst, maybe even the fourth.” Jeno says, still icing his nose because it still hurts, throbbing like a bitch every time it’s not being numbed completely. 

“Yes, of course, sorry, I forgot about your idiot friends.” Dongyoung says, sounding like he’s definitely rolling his eyes as Jeno before there’s a noise that has him yelling at someone, probably his roommate or his roommate’s boyfriend. He quickly returns to Jeno though, probably not trying to pick a fight with his little brother on the phone. “I say confess to him, the poor kid’s probably completely lost.”

“I don’t wanna lose him completely though hyung.” Jeno says, messing with his hoodie strings absently until he looks down and realizes that he’s wearing one of Donghyuck’s hoodies, probably left here from the last time Donghyuck was over. It makes his heart ache, sighing to himself as he thinks about the boy and his hoodies that are just a few sizes too big on him and on Jeno too.

“Well you’re not exactly keeping him around by doing this either, now are you?” Dongyoung points out before he’s pulling the phone away to yell again, sounding a bit more bitchy this time. He quickly puts the phone back to his ear, ignoring the yell that he gets in response in favor of ‘helping’ Jeno.

“Stop being right all the time, it’s annoying.” Jeno tells him after a moment, just encase Dongyoung’s attention gets pulled away again. It gains him a small laugh from his brother, one that sounds a bit like a strangled dog and makes Jeno laugh softly as well. 

“If I wasn’t right all the time, I’d be in last place.” He says before he’s yelling again, seemingly more heated than the last two times as he keeps going back and forth with who must definitely be his roommate’s boyfriend for a few moments, not even hearing his little brother’s reply.

“Guess so hyung, guess so.”

* * *

Apparently, when you’re worrying over sunshine boys for weeks on end, time flies.

Jeno learns this when he realizes that volleyball season is almost over, that they’re having their last games and that he may not get to interact with Donghyuck until next year. It has him in a bit of a panic when Jaemin mentions it offhandedly when they (‘they’ being Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno) are at the cafe they always go to whenever they hang out. 

He’s moving the ice around in his drink when he says it, sighing multiple times until Jeno gives and asks him what’s wrong. “I just can’t believe the season is almost over, it feels like you just joined days ago.” He says, Renjun rolling his eyes and informing Jaemin that it’s not like they won’t continue to hang out like that. “But it won’t be the same, we won’t have practice anymore.”

“We’ll be back in the Spring Jaemin, it isn’t that big of a deal.” Renjun says, not noticing that it isn’t just Jaemin worrying about this now. No, now Jeno is worrying about it too, thoughts racing as he realizes that the chances he once might have had to be Donghyuck’s friend outside of volleyball are completely crushed.

Jaemin seems to notice him though, stirring instantly stopping as he realizes what he’s set off. “I guess you’re right Injunnie, we still have Spring and then the next school year too, right Jeno?” Jaemin says, hoping to remedy the situation as Renjun looks over at Jeno, realizing how the boy is staring distantly at the wall and sighing.

“Just talk to him if it bothers you that much.” Renjun says, sounding like Dongyoung all of the sudden and snapping Jeno out of it, the short boy sounding exasperated as he gazes over at Jeno. “Even if you give him some bullshit excuse, Donghyuck will still probably forgive you.” He says and it just makes Jeno feel worse about this whole thing, wondering what he did to deserve the chance to be friends with the sunshine boy and why the fuck he ruined that chance.

“What if he doesn’t though?” Jeno asks, voice small as messes with his straw, needing something to put his energy into.

Renjun shrugs at that, lips drawn into a thin line as he looks at Jeno. “You won’t know unless you try.” He says, simple and to the point as he turns away from Jeno, instead starting a conversation with Jaemin and leaving Jeno to think for a moment, probably ready to include Jeno in the conversation whenever he’s ready.

It only takes him a few moments to join in on the back and forth between the two, but that doesn’t mean he stops thinking about what Renjun said.


	6. Currently Playing: ‘in your love’ by jiye kim

A week later, Jeno remembers what Renjun told him. A week later, their coach tells them that they only have a few games left. A week later, the fact that Jeno might not see Donghyuck until the Spring really sinks in.

It’s like being hit by a train, a really slow train, and instead of making him hurt all over it just makes his heart ache instead.

He’s kind of being dramatic about it, but then again when isn’t he kind of being dramatic about Donghyuck? That’s right, fucking never!

Still, the realization kicks him into motion, causing him to stumble towards Donghyuck after practice, heart beating a mile a minute and definitely not helping with that whole ‘aching heart’ thing he has going on. It’s what makes him open his mouth, staring at the boy as he tries to think of what to say, floundering for a moment before he finds something.

“Ice cream?” He asks, hoping he doesn’t sound as dumb as he feels, hoping that the look Donghyuck is giving him isn’t something bad, hoping that this somehow works out in his favor.

“Thought it was too cold for ice cream.” Donghyuck says, causing Jeno to panic for a moment before he sees the smile decorating Donghyuck’s face when he goes back to packing up his stuff.

“I think I can manage.” He says, achy heart suddenly forgotten in favor of enjoying the fluttering feeling in his stomach when Donghyuck laughs, bright and a bit sudden and so perfect. Jeno feels like he’s staring at the boy in awe and he probably is, but Donghyuck either doesn’t realize or doesn’t care because he turns to Jeno, smiling wide like things between them were never awkward.

“Alright then, but you’re paying this time.” He says, swinging his bag over his shoulder as Jeno nods, returning Donghyuck’s smile just as brightly.

“Sounds fair.” He says, thinking that if this is the start of things getting better, his answer coming in the form of Donghyuck smearing ice cream onto his nose when Jeno begins to complain that it hurts, giggling gleefully as Jeno looks over at him.

* * *

His ‘answer’ is promptly proven to be wrong by next week. He gets to spend exactly seven days with the boy of his dreams before he’s going straight back to reality.

It’s Thursday and Mark is waiting in the gym, texting someone until Donghyuck runs over to him, hugging him for a few moments before Mark pries him away. Jeno can’t hear their conversation from where he is, but he can see their faces and the joy that their interactions hold is crushing his heart.

Luckily, his heart doesn’t get stomped on completely as Jaemin swoops in then, grabbing Jeno by the shoulder and steering him over to Renjun, constantly dragging Jeno’s attention away from Mark and Donghyuck even when Jeno begins to look over his shoulder at the couple. Later, he probably needs to thank Jaemin for doing this, because it keeps him from crying in the middle of the gym, suddenly feeling dumb as he remembers how he thought that things would get better, completely forgetting that Mark Lee still exists.

“If it makes you feel any better, I think you’re better looking.” Renjun says when he notices Jeno looking over at the supposed couple, snapping his fingers to get Jeno’s attention fully. He should really thank Renjun too for taking care of him despite how dumb and dramatic he’s probably being.

“Injun, you had a crush on Mark in middle school.” Jaemin points out and suddenly Jeno doesn’t really want to thank him anymore.

“That’s not the point Jaemin.” Renjun says, kicking Jaemin in the chin and ignoring the boy as he falls to the floor in a, very gangy and very dramatic, heap. “Seriously Jeno, I’m sure you could find someone else instead of staying hung up on Donghyuck.” Renjun says, turning to him and making Jeno not want to thank him either.

“Or you could confess.” Jaemin says, bouncing up from the floor when he realizes no one’s gonna play into his dramatics.The suggestion just gets him a heavy sigh from Jeno though, the boy looking even more hopeless despite his friend’s trying to be helpful.

“And what? Get rejected and completely lose my chances at even being his friend?” Jeno asks, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his hoodie with another big sigh before he flops down onto the bleachers, pouting at the wall.

“Donghyuck wouldn’t do that.” Renjun says, reaching out to smooth down Jeno’s hair before he goes back to the papers he had been working on before Jeno and Jaemin had marched over and suddenly demanded all of his attention. “He’s better than that.”

“That’s not the problem, the problem is that I would feel too awkward if he turned me down.” Jeno says, careful not to start yelling and catch Mark and Donghyuck’s attention, really not wanting to let the supposed couple in on his badly kept secret.

“I don’t know what to tell you then Jeno.” Renjun says, flipping through the pages until he stops suddenly, marking a few things as Jeno sighs next to him, head lolling to the side as he gazes over at Donghyuck and Mark, now leaving the gym as they exchange smiles and laugh about whatever it is they’re talking about.

“Yeah, neither do I.”

* * *

When he calls Dongyoung for advice again that weekend, it isn’t Dongyoung who answers but instead it’s his brother’s roommate, Ten.

Jeno has met Ten once or twice, the short man both the perfect and worst roommate for his older brother. It seems like the two never stop bickering and it doesn’t help that Dongyoung gets along with Ten’s boyfriend as much as Jeno’s cats used to get along with their neighbor’s dog.

But putting all that aside, Ten is pretty cool and he Jeno knows him well enough to feel comfortable talking to Ten since it’s not like his brother’s available. It also helps that Ten seems a bit better at giving advice then Dongyoung is too, the man humming along to what Jeno’s story until the boy is finally done, feeling a little bit winded after talking for so long.

“Are you really sure that Mark and Donghyuck are dating? Because from what you’ve told me, Donghyuck seems like the type that would talk about whoever he’s dating whenever he could.” Ten says and suddenly Jeno’s beginning to question everything. “Maybe you should just… I dunno, ask him?”

Jeno’s mouth hangs open for a few moments, trying to think of something to say in return, trying to think of some sort of excuse as to why he hasn’t done that already. “But wouldn’t that just be obvious?” He asks, a little quiet and hesitant as he realizes that he’s even dumber than he thought he was.

“If this kid hasn’t noticed you staring at him constantly then I don’t think he’s gonna notice your reasoning for asking him about whether or not he’s dating someone.” Ten says and Jeno feels really, really dumb all of the sudden. “Seriously kid, talking is the key to life.” Ten tells him casually before there’s the sound of a door banging open and Dongyoung yelling in the background.

“Shit, gotta go, good luck with everything kiddo.” Ten says, quickly hanging up before Jeno has the chance to say goodbye, Dongyoung’s screeches echoing in Jeno’s room for a moment before Jeno falls back onto his bed. He stares up at his glow in the dark stars for what feels like hours, wondering why he never really stopped to consider if Mark and Donghyuck were actually dating even when his own brother told him that they might not be.

He eventually has to stop thinking about it because the more he thinks, the dumber he feels and he already is hurting enough, he doesn’t need all of this on top of it.

* * *

He doesn’t get the chance to put any of Ten’s advice to use though because when he returns to school that Monday things are suddenly going a mile a minute and he doesn’t even get the chance to talk to Donghyuck.

The team goes from game to game as the end of the season draws nearer, Jeno feeling more and more anxious every night when he returns home and realizes he didn’t get to talk to Donghyuck. It’s really not that great of a situation and based on how things have been for this entire time, Jeno really doesn’t think it’s going to get any better.

And it really doesn’t seem like things will be different either, their final game coming closer and closer until suddenly they’re getting ready, uniforms on as their coach gives them a pep talk. Jeno can barely even concentrate, glancing over at Donghyuck every few seconds, feeling a bit sick even as he looks at the sunshine boy in his uniform, listening to the coach with an unwavering gaze, somehow managing to stand out even as he stands next to their libero, only a few inches taller than the other boy. He can't help but notice how Donghyuck seems nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot, curls bouncing with the movements before the older setter on their team steadies him with a hand on his shoulder.

When the coach finishes up his little speech and dismisses them, they all begin to file out to the gym, every single one of them nervous and chattering to each other in an attempt to talk down. Jeno doesn’t pay any of their teammates any attention, eyes set on Donghyuck as he tries to reach out to the boy, managing to grab his arm just in time.

“Donghyuck, I really need to talk to you.” He says, not caring about how desperate he sounds as Donghyuck turns to look at him, a bit wide eyed and probably surprise that Jeno’s approaching him so suddenly. His surprise quickly fades away though, smiling sheepishly at Jeno as he pulls away from the older boy, looking just as nervous as everyone else did behind the sunny smile.

“Can it wait until after the game? We really need to start warm ups.” Donghyuck says, Jeno’s heart dropping to his stomach at the response. He still nods in agreement, not wanting to make things worse or ruin their game but he can’t help but feel anxious, like this is his last chance.

“Yeah, of course.” He breathes, setting everything into motion.

Everything is tense, from their warm-ups to the start of the game to losing the second set. Everyone, even Donghyuck is getting a bit tired but none of them want to lose and Jeno feels just a bit more desperate to win too, feels like if they don’t win things won’t work out.

And so he tries a little harder in the final set, puts every last drop of energy into the game and despite how he feels like he’s running on fumes towards the end, they pull through and win, everything going silent for a second when the game ends before they’re all yelling, hugging each other and celebrating their victory as if it’s not just a high school volleyball game, as if it’s something more.

Once they’re all changed and cleaned up, their coach takes them out for dinner, everyone still celebrating as they eat, the hyungs laughing joyously as the younger members smile at their happiness, all of them glowing with pride. The atmosphere makes Jeno forget what tonight really is for a bit, makes Jeno forget about the endless pit at the bottom of his gut until suddenly dinner is over and Jeno is standing outside, texting his mom and hoping that she’ll pick him up when there’s a hand on his arm.

It’s Donghyuck, standing beside him with his hat pulled clumsily over his messy hair and his jacket zipped up all the way, nose red from the cold. He looks like a dream in the warm light of the street lamps, smiling nervously at Jeno. “I know you wanted to tell me something,” He starts, sounding more nervous than he ever has before, “But I was wondering if I could say something first?”

Jeno is silent for a moment before he slides his phone into his pocket, pulling his gloves back on as he stares down at Donghyuck, wondering what’s going to happen when he says- “Yeah, of course.”

Donghyuck sighs, his breath visible in the cold air, looking relieved that Jeno agreed before he seems to realize that he now has to talk and he looks nervous all over again. He glances down at the ground, avoiding Jeno’s gaze for the first time since they’ve known each other and it makes Jeno worry more than he probably should.

“Lee Jeno, I really like you.” He says and Jeno thinks his world may just become a few shades brighter. “I didn’t realize I liked you for the longest time but when you started ignoring me and I started thinking and worrying a lot and at some point the realization hit me that I had been crushing on you. And I don’t know why you’re ignoring me and confessing is going to fix anything but I really, really like you Jeno.”

He finally looks up at Jeno, silently begging for the older boy to say something, to respond, while Jeno just stands there, so stunned that he can’t even think of a single word to say. What snaps him out of it is Donghyuck’s face falling, the boy beginning to look crushed as Jeno remains silent for a few beats too long.

“Lee Donghyuck, I’ve liked you since I first met you.” Jeno starts, grabbing Donghyuck’s attention just like that, the boy’s expression becoming so much more hopeful all of the sudden. “And I still like you, a lot, and I would also like to go on a date with you, a lot.” He says, smiling sheepishly as Donghyuck laughs breathily at his own small confession, biting his lip to keep his smile at bay.

“I think that I’d like that too, a lot.” Donghyuck says and the world suddenly seems to fall into place around them, bright and happy as they smile at each other, standing out in the cold like two idiots that like each very, very much.


	7. Currently Playing: ‘honey moon’ by birds in the airport

“Hyuckie, turn off the alarm, please.” Is the first thing Jeno whines when he gets up after the first night at their new apartment and the first day of college. His boyfriend doesn’t seem to be paying him any attention, moving around their bedroom in a hurry as he gets ready for his own classes, only looking over with a smile when Jeno finally reaches over and turns the alarm off.

“Sorry, had to make sure you’d wake up, can’t let you be late.” Donghyuck tells him, pulling a hoodie over his head before making his way over to Jeno, pushing the older boy’s bangs up to kiss his temple, smiling softly as Jeno huffs. “Which, by the way, if you want to eat breakfast you’re going to have to get up right now.”

The information is enough to force Jeno out of bed with a groan, pushing past his boyfriend as Donghyuck laughs brightly at his morning attitude, the boy somehow managing to break his old habit of always waking up late and leaving Jeno to struggle alone in the mornings. It’s not that bad though, because now Donghyuck makes sure he wakes up on time and sometimes cooks him breakfast (sometimes, normally he just buys food because neither of them really have the time to cook breakfast and neither of them really have the skill for it either), so at least there’s some benefits from this.

So, while Donghyuck continues to get ready for his classes, Jeno goes out to the kitchen and starts eating, checking his phone to make sure he can take his time before he starts dozing off in between each bite. It usually takes him a while to really wake up, but he feels extra sluggish this morning and he’s sure it has something to do with having to clean up their bedroom floor after Donghyuck somehow managed to cover it in clothes. He can’t really complain though, not when Donghyuck finally exits their bedroom and hugs him from behind, rocking him from side to side before planting a kiss on the nape of Jeno’s neck.

“I’ll see you at lunch?” He asks, a little hesitant when he says it. Despite sharing an apartment, Donghyuck and Jeno had made the decision to go to different colleges, both boys pursuing different things. It had caused a bit of trouble that summer, the couple anxious about how things would work out, but now things are good and they found an okay apartment together and it’s Jeno’s first day and things are amazing.

“See you at lunch.” He says, turning to kiss Donghyuck and smiling when Donghyuck quickly pulls away, complaining about Jeno’s morning breath like he often does before moving in for one last kiss placed delicately on the tip of Jeno’s nose. The sunshine boy directs a smile at him then, eyes twinkling before he’s finally pulling away, saying one last goodbye to Jeno before he’s out the door, leaving Jeno to wake up the rest of the way in peace.

Jeno can’t help but feel extra lucky on that morning, smiling stupidly at his plate as he eats, head filled with thoughts of the sunshine boy that he was lucky enough to meet and date as well. He’s so glad and that they both managed to make things work, that they didn’t fall apart even under the pressure of the summer and college or even the pressure of their senior year of high school. He’s so, so happy and he reminds himself to tell Donghyuck that, not caring about how Donghyuck will probably call him cheesy and instead thinking of how Donghyuck will giggle at him when he says it, happy and bright and Jeno’s own personal sunshine.

It’s only a few minutes later that Jeno reconsiders his plans, squinting at the sight of their bedroom floor covered in clothes again, sighing to himself as he wonders why Donghyuck can break his habit of sleeping late but can’t break his habit of throwing everything everywhere for no reason.

(He still tells Donghyuck about how happy he is at lunch, smiling as his boyfriend responds exactly how he had expected, giggling as he calls Jeno cheesy before leaning over to press a sweet kiss to his lips, smile filling up the room and Jeno’s heart all at once.)


	8. Currently Playing: ‘i just loved you’ by in love with a ghost (bonus track)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happened with donghyuck in chapter six

Even after The Realization, things don’t seem any better for a while. Everything’s still awkward and a little intense until one day, Jeno seeks him out after practice. He’s packing up when Jeno waltzes over to him, looking like he’s about to explode when he asks Donghyuck out for ice cream.

Donghyuck can’t help but tease him at the time, replaying Yukhei’s advice to just act normal over and over again, but he feels about ready to jump for joy as he agrees to the offer, smiling at his bag like a fool. Their outing is nice and Donghyuck thinks that maybe things are going to get better, finally, when Jeno acts like he used to, joking around with Donghyuck and laughing when Donghyuck messes with him.

It leaves him so happily that he actually does jump for joy, bouncing on his head until he comes crashing down and nearly gives his sister a heart attack.

* * *

Unfortunately, it seems like everything else was bound to come crashing down too when just next week Jeno is back to ignoring him. It’s like their little ice cream date never happened, like the time spent together was just thrown out the window and he can’t help but feel like they’re just going to be stuck in a rut for the two years until they eventually part ways and never see each other again.

The thought makes his heart feel like it’s being squeezed and crumpled up, but he tries to tell himself that he’s gotta be wrong, that things will work out.

Of course, looking on the bright side doesn’t always help and things don’t end up working out for them within those next few weeks. And Donghyuck really tries to hold out hope but with every week that passes, he loses a bit of hope and it seems like every day becomes shorter and the pace continues to pick up with the end of the season coming nearer and nearer, creeping up on them before they realize it.

It leaves him feeling like a ball of anxiety, bouncing around and just waiting to explode at any given moment. It worries Mark and Yukhei a lot, boy of the boys trying to convince him to do something instead of just waiting it out. He doesn’t take their advice though, convincing himself that it’s probably better to go with the flow, that if things aren’t meant to work out, then they aren’t meant to work out.

Mark is the one to put an end to it on the night of the volleyball team’s last game of the fall, the older boy driving Donghyuck to his game as he almost always does, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles have turned white by now. Mark can feel the anxiety rolling off of his friend in waves and it makes him want to yell and maybe shake some sense into Donghyuck but he knows that won’t work.

Instead, as they pull into the parking lot, he grabs Donghyuck’s arm, holding him there until Donghyuck reluctantly turns to him. “Let’s make a bet.” Mark says, as serious as can be as Donghyuck raises an eyebrow questioningly, waiting for Mark to elaborate. “If you lose, you don’t have to say anything to Jeno, but if you win, you’re going to confess.”

Normally, the two bet over stupid stuff like who’s going to be dating who by the end of the year and whether or not Taeyong’s roommate is going to put Taeyong’s boyfriend, Ten, in a body cast or now. This bet is definitely different, but Donghyuck has never turned down a bet and he’s not going to start now.

“Fine.” He says, straight to the point as he stares over at Mark in the dim lighting of the school parking lot. “Fine, you’ve got a deal.” He nods his head, trying to ignore the lump in his throat as Mark sighs, finally letting him go and moving to exit the car.

He ends up stopping Donghyuck by entrance though, looking like the lost six year old that Donghyuck met so many years ago. “Good luck.” He says, sincere and hopeful as he squeezes Donghyuck’s shoulder once.

“Thanks hyung.” He replies, smiling weakly at the older boy before he’s entering the school and making his way towards the locker rooms.

He thanks Mark again a few months later, after he asks Lee Jeno to be his boyfriend while they’re sitting on top of Jeno’s roof, looking at constellations when Jeno suddenly mentions that Donghyuck has ursa minor on his skin and Donghyuck responds by asking Jeno to be his boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twt @FlSHIE


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